Apple is introducing two new updates to their digital voice assistant Siri in the latest version of iOS Beta. First, they are introducing two new voices to choose from, and second, Siri will no longer default to either a male or female voice when being set up for the first time.
The two new voices that are being offered are based on talent recordings that have processed through Apple’s Neural text to speech engine. This allows the voices to have smoother transitions between phrases and have a better, more organic flow during speech.
The two new voices will be available to English-speaking users first.
Check out samples of the new voices in the tweet below:
Here’s a recording of Siri’s new lineup of American voices in iOS 14.5. Voices 1 and 4 are the existing ones, voices 2 and 3 are the new ones. pic.twitter.com/6emei4B3Z9
— John Gruber (@gruber) April 1, 2021
The second and arguably more important change, is that Apple will no longer default to a male or female voice when setting up Siri. At the moment, in most countries Siri defaults to a female voice while in some countries, Siri defaults to a male voice.
Giving users the choice during the initial setup will help negate the defaults bias and make it easier for users to choose the voice they prefer. This will help Siri feel a lot more inclusive and help users feel more comfortable when interfacing with the digital assistant.
These two changes are present in the latest Beta of iOS and is available to all program participants.
In a statement regarding the announcement, Apple said:
We’re excited to introduce two new Siri voices for English speakers and the option for Siri users to select the voice they want when they set up their device. This is a continuation of Apple’s long-standing commitment to diversity and inclusion, and products and services that are designed to better reflect the diversity of the world we live in.